Scars of a Lighthouse
by Margaret-Malfoy
Summary: In which Clint and Natasha become lawfully wedded spouses.


**Author's Note: And here I am, posting things that are still not the things I should be posting. Anyway. This was written for widowsass on Tumblr and I'm in the process of cross-posting things on both Ao3 and here. So I hope you like it :) you can find me on tumblr as the-penultimate-avenger (or, if you're reading this during october, the-2spooky-avenger) so you can check me out there if you have a tumblr :D Enjoy~**

**Disclaimer: I do not own the Avengers or any characters affiliated with Marvel.**

* * *

Natasha took a few deep breaths, in through her nose and out through her mouth, as she stared at her reflection in the full-length mirror. The reflection that stared back at her was foreign and glorious and it made her heart leap. She had worn dresses before, sure, but none of them had been so beautiful. The dresses she wore for missions were…well, less than modest, and she wasn't the type to go dress shopping for herself. She was a woman of practicality, after all.

She felt as though she was standing in a dream and that everything they'd spent months planning would come crashing down and she'd be forced back into reality. It was all too perfect to be true; the dress, the location, and the man she was about to wed. She'd dreamed of this day when she was young—during the days when she believed happiness was so easy to come by.

But the day had come, and it was indeed real.

There was a gentle knock on the door and the assassin turned just as Pepper Potts poked her head into the room with a luminous smile. "How are you feeling?" She asked, slipping in and shutting the door behind her.

Natasha gave her reflection another once over, smiling nervously. "I don't know yet. I just can't believe it's finally here." She adjusted her dress slightly, smoothing her fingers over the satin bodice. Her original plan had been to go with something simple—a plain white dress that could be bought at any generic wedding store. Pepper and Maria had convinced her otherwise, however, saying that weddings were meant to be elaborate and beautiful.

That, and Tony had offered to pay for it.

So in the end, she'd managed to find the perfect dress. The bodice was sleeveless and fell just above her hips where layers of fabric flared outwards, nearly touching the floor. The satin was covered with tiny beads that accented embroidered roses, spreading across the waist of the dress and accentuating her curves.

"You'll be fine." Pepper assured, placing a hand on Natasha's shoulder. "I'm sure Clint is just as nervous as you are."

"His job is easy." Nat muttered. "He just has to stand there and look pretty. Everyone knows that the bride is the focal point of the wedding."

"Well, you look beautiful and all of the people focusing on you are going to agree 100%."

Natasha sent Pepper a grateful smile through the mirror and adjusted one of the hairpins that was holding a tendril of hair from her eyes, fluffing the mesh veil over her shoulders, before turning to the other woman. The reality hadn't hit her quite yet, but her heart was beating quickly nonetheless, her palms cold. In her mind, she equated the situation for preparing for a mission, but it was harder to find an inner calm. Missions were easy; she'd done them a million times and had learned to expect the unexpected. Marriage was a rarer occurrence where anything could happen.

It was her wedding day. She was about to marry the man who saved her life and made it possible to turn everything around. Clint made the call not to kill her, and she was making the call to spend the rest of her life with him.

"Are you ready?" Pepper asked, glancing quickly down at her wrist before realizing that she wasn't wearing a watch. As the maid of honor, she had to look just slightly less beautiful than Natasha. Her watch had been replaced by a corsage bracelet that matched those the bridesmaids were wearing and a red dress fell just above her knees, the wispy material dancing as she walked. Maria, Jane, and Darcy—the bridesmaids —each had dresses that were slightly more casual than Pepper's, but every one of them looked absolutely stunning.

"Is everybody here yet?"

"Yep. The only thing left to do now is let the wedding commence."

* * *

Clint shoved his hands in the pocket of his suit pants in an attempt to stop fidgeting. He felt a wonderful mix of nervousness, excitement, and incredulousness and he felt a lot like a kid who was waiting in line for entrance to Disneyland. They were having an outdoor wedding in a private gardens that Tony had somehow managed to rent out for a day. They were surrounded by a circle of trees, each with various flowers underneath them. A stone path led from the gazebo, under an arch of trees, and ended at the back porch of the estate house. The archer was standing under a small gazebo where the groomsmen and bridesmaids were lined up, looking over the crowd and trying to wrap his brain around the fact that every person was there to see him and Natasha get married. Even Fury had donned his best suit, looking less stern than he usually did.

And honestly, Clint never would have thought that they would come so far.

He'd seen something in Natasha when he was first assigned to kill her; something that steered him towards letting her live. When he actually got to know her, he realized that he'd made the right call.

Natasha was amazing. She was the strongest woman Clint had ever met and her determination was astounding. He loved the way she refused to give up and the way she grit her teeth and continued forward, despite anything she was going through. She was strong, and he gained strength just by being around her.

A hush fell over the small crowd as necks turned to the back of the clearing where Natasha and Pepper had just appeared. Pepper rushed up to stand beside the other bridesmaids and the Natasha looked down at the bouquet in her hands.

Clint was absolutely speechless. He'd seen Natasha in dresses loads of times before, but this was different. She didn't look like an agent on a mission. Heart beating loudly in his chest, the archer tried to swallow as he felt a rush of emotions flare in his chest. Natasha was there to marry _him._ Out of all the men in the world she could have, she chose Clint Barton—SHIELD agent, archer, and friend.

Traditional organ music began playing through a speaker setup that was hooked into Tony's watch and Phil took his place next to Natasha, preparing to walk her down the aisle. Coulson looked absolutely thrilled, just as a true father would, with his arm hooked with Nat's. The two took their first steps and Clint couldn't help but smile at his soon-to-be bride, watching as she smiled back from beneath her lashes.

There was a warm breeze as Natasha walked towards the gazebo that brought with it the scent of flowers and earth, making the picture all the more surreal and beautiful. The music finally stopped as the spy took her place beside the archer, the two looking at each other with similar glints in their eyes.

"We are gathered here today," the priest began as Phil moved to stand with the groomsmen.

Clint wanted to reach out and touch Natasha's cheek, a pull emanating from his chest and willing him to move closer. He didn't, though, but brought his hands forward to twine with hers. The priest's words were barely registering in either of their minds, but when it came time to agree to the union, they both said their 'I do's'.

"You may now kiss the bride."

Natasha and Clint both finally gave into the almost magnetic pull, their lips meeting in the first kiss of their marriage. They'd shared many kisses before, but this one was different. It signified their newly-formed bond; a completed contract. Their lips were those of a stranger and an old friend. It was like travelling a well-known road that was suddenly brand new and unexplored.

"I love you." Natasha whispered, her eyes showing a vulnerability that was rare for her. They glinted with tears that would remain unshed, but held so many meanings; they hinted at her happiness for her life and the sorrow for the life she was never able to live in Russia. These tears, unlike the ones she showed on missions, were 100% real. They were human.

"I love you, too, Nat." Clint whispered back, oblivious to the applause of the people sitting in the crowd. He pulled his wife into his arms, smiling to himself like an idiot. "I love you so much."

In that moment, Natasha knew that Clint was her lighthouse, shining in the infinite darkness of her world. She'd gotten a single glance of the light when she'd first seen him, but she needed more. Clint's brightness had left an everlasting impression and would forever be there to lead her into the sun. Scars of a lighthouse don't fade so easily, and the archer made her stronger—made her into a person worth fighting for.

And she would fight for him.

No, not solely for him—for the happy ending they had both earned.


End file.
